


honest

by amemorymaze



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Louis is irressistible, M/M, liam is liam, x factor era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 03:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3365669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amemorymaze/pseuds/amemorymaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>He can’t deny it - can never deny Louis anything. For a second, Liam wonders if this a problem that everyone faces and, who is he kidding, of course they do. Because when Louis tilts his head in that kind of dumb but slightly endearing way and smirks with a dangerous glint of challenge in his eyes, it’s almost impossible to resist. </i>
</p>
<p><i>Or, it is for Liam, anyway. </i><br/><br/> </p>
<p>(because when louis dares you to do something, you do it.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	honest

**Author's Note:**

> because lilo gives me a hell of a lot of feelings. thanks to [elsa](http://www.kurtfer.tumblr.com) the last section was her idea.

The thing with Louis, Liam thinks as he lounges on his sofa in the lounge of the bustling X-Factor house, isn’t his barking laughter or the way his eyes crinkle whenever he smiles at Harry’s really quite terrible jokes. It’s not even the way that he knows exactly how to rile Liam up and push all of his buttons. It’s not how Louis manages to push himself into Liam’s space - get right up in his face with that dumb smirk on his lips.

No, Liam sighs as he rubs his hand over his face, the thing with Louis is that it is completely, utterly impossible to say no to him.

 

**i.**

It starts in an interview - their very first interview as a group infact. The five of them are bouncing on the balls of their feet and their hands are shaking, slick with nervousness. There’s cameras and so many people surrounding them and it’s nothing like what Liam had expected.

Tensions are running high between them and they’ve already had a few squabbles. Liam had shot daggers at Louis when he starts cracking jokes but when he saw the way Harry’s shoulders relaxed, his look transformed into a smile.

And when Louis leans over, Liam’s body still tense and strung tight, whispering in his ears, Liam will deny the goosebumps that formed on his neck.

“Dare ya to use the word sophisticated completely out of context in this interview.”

Liam narrows his eyes, trying not to let the grin take over his face; “Challenge accepted.”

Louis leant back, smirking, and Liam pretended that he didn’t miss the warmth of Louis’ breath on his neck of the press of his body against his.

Liam manages to do it despite Louis’ insistence that he only did because he didn’t know what the word meant in the first place. (He does - he totally does.)

 

**ii.**

He should’ve expected it really. From the moment he’d been woken from his light sleep to the sound of thunder of footfalls coming down the stairs to the moment a slew of multi-coloured sharpies hit his body.

“Now is the time to attack!” Louis yells, jumping onto Liam’s body and sitting on his back. “Get up, get up! The prey is sleeping so we need to do this quickly if we’re going to do it.”

“What on earth are you on about, mate?”

Louis rolls his eyes, as if Liam should already know. “Don’t you listen to me?”

“No,” Liam shoots back (it’s a lie).

Louis huffs and clambers off of Liam’s body, “Dare you to draw a penis on Niall’s arm.”

“What? No!” Liam says, shaking his head in bewilderment; “Do you want him to hate me?!”

Louis laughs - the one that sounds a bit like a cackle - before rolling his eyes; “As if Niall could hate you.”

A blinding smile crosses Liam’s face as Louis shoves the sharpies into Liam’s hand. “Come on, let’s go draw a rainbow dick on Niall!”

When he lays in bed that night, sharpie all over his arms from where Niall had declared war after waking up - he wonders if he should be having a sexuality crisis. If this attraction he feels should feel wrong and he shouldn’t understand it.

But he does.

Because it’s Louis and with Louis, everything feels right.

 

**iii.**

He shouldn’t drink - he really, _really_ shouldn’t drink. He has only got one kidney after all. But when Louis’ staring him down across the table, a pint of beer in his hand offered out to him, Liam can’t shake his head.

He can’t deny it - can never deny Louis anything. For a second, Liam wonders if this a problem that everyone faces and, who is he kidding, of course they do. Because when Louis tilts his head in that kind of dumb but slightly endearing way and smirks with a dangerous glint of challenge in his eyes, it’s almost impossible to resist.

Or, it is for Liam, anyway.

So when Louis dares him to down it in under ten seconds; he does.

He lets out an impressively loud burp, just as he drops the glass to the table and Niall cackles.

“Didn’t know you had it in ya, Li,” he says, laughing as Harry passes another pint to Liam; “That was a solid eight of out ten.”

And Liam can’t help but smile and puff his chest out in pride because this is new to him and he couldn’t be more happy that he’s experiencing it with these boys.

The cool november air causes goosebumps to appear on Liam’s arms and Louis calls it out in delight. “You need more alcohol, Payno, if you’re shivering like that.”

And Liam shrugs and thinks to himself that maybe a few beers won’t hurt.

They sit there for hours, laughing and giggling like a bunch of year sevens at a sleepover. They’re all shivering when they run out of alcohol but none of them seem to care much as Niall reveals his talent for impressions and they run out of breath from laughter.

Harry tells awful jokes that only Niall laughs at and Zayn chats their ears off about these drawings he’s planning on doing soon. Louis helps them conspire pranks against the other contestants with Liam having to put his foot down more than once on his plans.

They are in a competition after all and they don’t want the others to hate them _too_ much when they beat them.

Most of the night, Liam stays quiet, uncertainty still coursing through his veins (along with the alcohol) and doesn’t spend any time watching Louis as he talks with his hands and laughs with his head thrown back.

Maybe he does a little.

Or a lot.

 

**iv.**

Liam’s tinkering on the piano in the music room going through the scales when Louis jumps on top of it.

His face is mere inches from Liam’s and Liam inhales sharply. He could probably count every freckle and every eyelash from this distance and his heart is racing away from him.

“I have a dare for you,” Louis says, his voice soft and there’s a smile on his face that Liam would call shy but he’s never known Louis to be shy.

“Yeah?” Liam says, unable to tear his gaze away from Louis’ eyes. There’s a fire burning underneath the blue and Liam doesn’t know where this is going to take him.

“Dare you to kiss me,” he says, and Liam’s eyes grow wide and he exhales a deep breath in shock.

But his gaze is still caught on those bright blue eyes and he can’t help but find himself leaning forward. Closer still - impossibly close and he probably looks ridiculous, his hands hovering in mid air and Louis’ eyes piercing his still.

He move forward in a rush - not thinking about the consequences for once and just thinks for himself. For what he wants.

He presses forward  and it’s soft and sweet and it’s the dry touch of lips on lips and Liam finds himself trying to grasp for something. But Louis’ still laying on top of the piano on his stomach and Liam can’t pull away - can never pull away. Not from Louis.

They breathe together as their lips move in tandem. It’s a slow rhythm and it’s everything Liam wants, everything he didn’t know he wanted. But as he presses forward, his hand slams down on the piano keys - the abrupt sound so very loud and they both jump away from each other.

Louis almost falls onto the floor, but manages to catch himself on his feet at the last moment. His cheeks are stained red and he lifts a hand and combs it through his hair.

“I - ” Louis begins, his voice tight - rough, “I’m sorry - I, um, I’m gonna… go.”

And with that he flees the room, leaving Liam sitting at the piano his head a mess as he tries to piece together the jigsaw that just happened.

 

**v.**

“I think I’m gay,” Liam blurts out before their semi-final show, his nerves are frazzled and shot down. He can’t sit still and his hands are shaking as he avoids all eye contact.

He doesn’t want to see their reaction - doesn’t want to see the disgust in their eyes that he’d seen all too many times back at school. He doesn’t want his memories of these wonderful boys to be tainted with those of the boys back home that bullied him for years upon years.

Harry laughs and Liam flinches; “Well,” Harry says, his deep voice cheerful and, _what?_ “I for one, am most definitely not straight.”

Liam looks up in surprise, his eyes growing wide and a smile flashing on his face. “Yeah?”

Harry just laughs again, and Liam chances a glance at the other boys around the room and they all have smiles on their faces; “Duh.”

Louis stands up on his dressing table, spreading his arms out wide; “Dare you to play the floor is lava all the way to the stage.”

And the tension is cracked as they use the rolling chairs and tables and beanbags down the corridor - annoying everyone in the vicinity but they don’t care.

They’re laughing and shouting and they get told to be quiet more than once. And when Liam misjudges the distance between the table and beanbag, and steps on the floor, he looks up, expecting Louis to be squealing in delight.

Instead, he’s holding a hand out and pulling Liam back without so much as a word before the boys can notice. The only recognition he gets of it is the discrete wink he throws in Liam’s direction as he jumps onto the chair that rolls down the corridor - crashing into Harry.

And by the time they’re in the wings, their nerves are gone and they’re giggling in silent laughter. Liam feels his heartbeat race and his chest glow with adrenaline before they’re stepping into the bright lights and singing their hearts out.

 

**vi.**

They’re packing when it happens.

Harry, Zayn and Niall are in the kitchen, gathering all their bits and pieces that seem to have spread around the entire house during their stay.

It leaves Liam and Louis in the bedroom. They’re silent and there’s a thick tension in the air; Liam has his back to Louis, folding his clothes as he places them in his suitcase.

“Li,” Louis says, his voice soft and slightly shaky.

Liam turns around, facing Louis. He looks smaller than usual and Liam feels his heart race again as a smirk crosses Louis’ face.

And if it was anyone but Liam (and maybe Harry) they wouldn’t notice the way Louis’ smirk isn’t as certain as it usually is. There’s a telltale look in his eyes; the way they won’t catch Liam’s gaze and the corners of his lips are unsure and slightly turned down.

If Liam looks closely enough (he does), there’s a slight tremor in his hands where they lay at Louis’ side as if they’re itching to be stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. Liam just smiles a little wistfully back at Louis with his chocolate brown eyes open wide.

“Dare you to fall in love with me,” Louis whispers.

They’re standing on opposite sides of the room but it feels like there’s barely a space between them. He can hear every breath they take and every rustle of clothing.

“No,” Liam says, shaking his head slightly.

He watches as Louis’ eyes grow wide, full of hurt and confusion and before Liam can speak Louis starts; “No?” He questions.

“I’m already in love with you, Louis.”

And it’s like a dam breaks and Louis’ rushing towards Liam, tripping over his own feet in his haste. Meeting in the middle, both wearing blinding smiles as their lips crash together. It’s frantic and harsh - pushing and pulling against each other with Liam’s hands cupping Louis’ face and Louis’ hands bunched up in his t-shirt.

There’s too much teeth in their haste to just get closer, closer, _closer_ but Liam can’t say he really cares. He just slides a hand to tangle his fingers into Louis’ hair; tugging slightly and managing to elicit a groan from Louis. They kiss and kiss and kiss until their lips are red raw and Louis’ pulling away, catching his teeth on Liam’s lip; biting it softly.

“I hate you,” Louis breathes out against Liam’s mouth, his hands still gripping tight at Liam’s shirt - hard enough that there’s sure to be creases they afterwards. And Liam can’t get the taste of Louis from him - never wants to get rid of it - and he can feel his eyelashes brushing on his skin.

Liam just smiles knowingly, “No, you don’t.”

The room’s gone dark around them and it’s full of creeping shadows but Louis’ smiling up at Liam and he’s all Liam has eyes for. That incandescent tilt of his lips that makes the skin at the corners of his eyes crease up and his glistening blue eyes shine with happiness. It lights up the whole room.

“No,” Louis repeats, pressing his lips back to Liam’s, as if unable to resist the attraction, his words mumbled slightly; “I really don’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on tumblr [here](http://www.amemorymaze.tumblr.com) if you wanna!


End file.
